Sisters sweep the podium, Kingsbury rules at Quebec World Cup

Canada’s moguls skiers put on a tremendous show for the home crowd at Val Saint-Come, Quebec on Saturday, winning five of six medals including a podium sweep for the Dufour-Lapointe sisters.

Olympic champion Justine Dufour-Lapointe nailed the final run with a score of 86.09 in the women’s competition to take the top prize ahead of sisters Chloe (85.09) and Maxime (80.76). The second and third placed siblings were cheering for their youngest sister from the bottom of Alex Bilodeau Hill when she stepped ahead of them for first place.

(L-R) Chloe, Justine and Maxime Dufour-Lapointe celebrate their World Cup podium sweep at Val Saint-Come, Quebec on January 23, 2016.

“I think the podium sweep probably crossed our mind at least a couple times throughout the day,” the top finishing Dufour-Lapointe said. “But we stayed focused and followed the plan we had built with our team.”

The sisters – and all Canadian skiers – praised the crowd that braved a sunny but at times chilly day two hours north of Montreal.

“They were loud and energetic all day,” Dufour-Lapointe continued. “We felt like the entire country was behind us, cheering us on and watching history.”

This was the first time ever that the Dufour-Lapointe sisters swept a World Cup podium, a feat never achieved by three women from Canada, or sisters from any country for that matter.

On the men’s side, Mikael Kingsbury made it two-for-two in World Cup events this season, dominating the field through all three rounds to win ahead of Matt Graham of Australia. Canadian newcomer to the senior circuit, Laurent Dumais, was third to find his first World Cup podium.

“The crowd played a big part in motivating me and the team today,” Kingsbury said echoing his teammates. “That’s why we love competing in Quebec and in Canada in general.”

Canada dominates the podium at Val Saint-Come with five of six medals in the men’s and women’s World Cup races. Left to right starting with the first Canadian are Chloe Dufour-Lapointe, Justine Dufour Lapointe, Mikael Kingsbury, Laurent Dumais and Maxime Dufour Lapointe. Australia’s Matt Graham (far left) is the only non-Canadian to make the podium in Quebec on January 23, 2016.

Kingsbury’s score was a monstrous 93.42 on the final run, clearing Graham by nearly six points. He and the moguls team will get another chance to compete in Canada next week when they compete in Calgary.

The season started in Ruka, Finland where Kingsbury became the all-time leader in World Cup wins with his 29th career victory. At the same venue Chloe Dufour-Lapointe was third in the women’s race. Only dual moguls were contested in Finland.